IndependentBaseball.net – Your Starting Point For Professional Independent Baseball

Here is an interview with Fran Riordan, the new manager for the expansion Lake County Fielders of the Northern League:

• http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/sports/2064426,5_2_WA23_COVER_S1-100223.article

Here is a good news story:  two players getting signed out of an open independent baseball pro tryout for the Frontier League’s Traverse City Beach Bums:  http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3965226.

If you know any players still in college (or recently out of college) who believe that they are good enough to make an independent baseball team, then let them know that there is an interview series which can help.  Eight experts in the independent baseball industry were interviewed and asked questions to help prospective players get signed and succeed in independent baseball.

Please forward them this blog post and tell them to go to How To Prepare For Independent Pro Baseball Tryouts or http://www.independentbaseballtryouts.net

IndependentBaseball.net wishes you and your loved ones an enjoyable start to your new year.  May 2010 be a productive one for you, and may it produce some exciting developments in the independent baseball industry:  both on the field as well as fun developments from the business end.

In the coming days there will be opportunities for you to vote on future subjects to be covered on this site which will offer you a better understanding of the industry.

If you celebrate the Christmas Holidays, then we at IndependentBaseball.net wish you a wonderful Christmas.  Have safe travels, enjoy your time with loved ones, and start to get ready for the 2010 independent baseball season in the coming weeks!

Happy Holidays to all who all celebrate during this time of year.

In recent days Fort Smith, Arkansas has been named as city which is being targeted by independent minor league baseball as a future expansion city, including a new stadium.  Here are some of the articles discussing this story:

• http://www.thecitywire.com/index.php?q=node/7410
• http://www.swtimes.com/articles/2009/12/18/news/news121809_11.txt

If you are familiar with success (or failure) stories of independent baseball teams seeking new stadium construction as part of a “live-work-play” real estate development plan then you are welcome to leave comments on this page.  Please cite your sources and the financial ramifications of such successes/failures from previous years.

The American Association’s involvement in Fort Smith would make sense, geographically, and you are welcome to contribute your thoughts as to the economics of this if you are well-versed in the economics of pro sports.

We noticed an accidental spelling error for the title of this week’s blog post about the Palm Springs team announcement.  IndependentBaseball.net aims to be professional in all aspects, and we regret that such a spelling error took place.

Should you notice grammatical errors or other errors then please bring it to our attention.  They will be corrected right away.

Thank you.

Here are two follow-up articles regarding the sale of the Sioux Falls Canaries last week:

• http://www.argusleader.com/article/20091210/COLUMNISTS0104/91209045/1057/COLUMNISTS
• http://www.argusleader.com/article/20091209/SPORTS0301/912090313/1002/sports

It is great to see that two independent minor leagues have decided to work together and do joint efforts:  http://www.ballparkdigest.com/news/index.html?article_id=1963

While the logistics remain to be determined, this is a good sign for the independent baseball industry.  Back in October, the Independent Baseball Fall Meetings were held in Joliet, IL.  One of the topics discussed by Pat Salvi, owner of the Gary-Southshore RailCats, was the need for increased cooperation between the 8 independent leagues.

Since the 8 leagues are not only independent from “affiliated” Minor League Baseball, but also independent of each other, potential sponsors of significant size most likely see fragmentation in the independent baseball industry.  This is despite an 8+ million announced attendance for independent baseball games during the 2009 season.

Unlike Major League Baseball, there is no “official sponsor” of anything across all 8 leagues.  Hopefully cooperation between teams and leagues, as time goes on, can work so that the size of the “pie” increases for everybody and raises the standards for all of the owners, front office staff, managers, and players.

IndependentBaseball.net believes that the independent professional baseball industry has offered a tremendous amount for its fans over the last few years.  Here are just a few examples:

• Celebrities (as owners) participating in on-field games between innings
• Funny promotions, including Tucson’s unique way to draw a crowd for an exhibition game this season
• Post-game lessons for kids remaining in the stands after games by players in uniform
• Terrific human interest stories, including the intern who became a player

Unfortunately, with a lack of standardization between the leagues these stories do not necessarily reach the average baseball fan.  This site aims to help baseball fans around North America learn more about the industry and give you the unique stories and news which makes this niche of professional baseball so unique.

Should you see a unique story, video clip, or news article about the independent baseball industry then please send it to us so that we can confirm everything.  If it meets our standards, especially if it benefits the industry as a whole, then we will publish it giving you credit if you wish.

We at IndependentBaseball.net want to wish you and your loved ones an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday and start to your upcoming Holiday season.

While we would like for you to visit the site every day, we know that the Holidays can be a busy time.  If you use feed readers or RSS feed technology then be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed in order to be kept up to date on independent professional baseball news during the Holidays.

Thank you for being a part of IndependentBaseball.net and we are always open to suggestions for new content.  Use the “Contact” link on the lower right-hand side or leave a comment with your suggestions.

Here is a quick Q&A with the new manager of the Joliet Jackhammers of the Northern League:

http://jackhammerbaseball.com/news/index.html?article_id=2079